Table 1 Summary of vignettes
Vignette 1: poor-quality information |
Source: Vignette 1 was a post from a Facebook channel using a name similar to the patient education website of the Ministry of Health; however, this Facebook channel was not endorsed by the Malaysian Ministry of Health |
Content: This vignette stated that statins bring high profits to the pharmaceutical industry |
It highlighted statin side effects: increased diabetes risk, liver failure, kidney failure, cataracts, muscle weakness and inflammation. It questioned the need for statins to prevent cardiovascular diseases because cholesterol is not the leading cause |
Source attribution: This vignette cited a few well-established journals and institutions, such as the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs and the ‘Harvard’ study. It also quoted sentences from doctors |
Writing style and tone: This vignette was written in a non-professional manner with a threatening tone e.g. “In Malaysia, if you have been given a statin drug prescription by doctors, then be prepared for your final days.” |
Vignette 2: High-quality information |
Source: This vignette was obtained from the official healthcare institutional website from the United States, with the title “Statin side-effects: Weigh the benefits and risks.” |
Content: This vignette stated the indication of statins and listed the statin side-side effects: muscle pain and damage, liver damage, increased blood sugar or type 2 diabetes and neurological side effects. It explained weighing the benefits of statins against the risk of side effects and the rarity of the severe side effects. Other content included who is at risk of statin side effects, drugs and food interaction with statins, and how to relieve statin side effects. It advised patients to seek doctors’ advice if they have any concerns or experience any side effects |
Source attribution: This vignette has a reference section citing 11 published articles |
Writing style and tone: This vignette was written in a professional manner with a neutral tone in advising patients about statins |